Friday, September 14, 2007

It's not ironic that the guy you just met grew up on the same street where your aunt lives, or that a coach lost his last game to a team he used to work with, or that there's a black fly in your chardonnay. But this is ironic.

The tradition (and dictionary definition) of "situational ironay" or "dramatic irony" is well established. Here is Merriam-Webster's third definition of "irony":3 a (1): incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2): an event or result marked by such incongruity b: incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play —called also dramatic irony tragic irony

This week I've made a point to figure out what irony is and be able to explain it to others. I haven't yet checked Bill's books, but is there a source somewhere online that people have found to be helpful?